Gregor is a top notch engineer who creates a great atmosphere in the studio. Highly recommended for…read morea very satisfactory end result for your recordings

Just finished a fab recording session with the lovely Gregor who is an absolute doll!…read more Backstory: my Dad entered a Fanta competition to win an "experience" which could have been something like feeding a lion, driving a sports car and other such things. Instead, my poor wee da won a "Popstar for a Day" experience - funnily enough he wasn't up for that so I got to do it! After getting the thing rescheduled at various studios throughout Glasgow (Songmaker were the organisers so that was nothing to do with HQ) I finally got a session with HQ today to record a couple of songs and I'm actually really glad it turned out this way. I used to sing a bit in school and I've always liked singing, but I'd never done any sort of recording like this before, so I was really pretty nervous but Gregor absolutely put me at ease right away! After a few practice goes at my first chosen song (Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac for those wondering, he even got the backing track with backing vocals for me cause he'd been sent the one without them, sounded weird without the harmonies!) we had a proper run through and after a couple of takes he was already pretty happy with it so let me have a wee listen. I sounded much better than I expected to (no autotune I should add!) which was great and he quickly got it mixed together - taking the best bits from my takes, nobody's perfect right? - so I could have a wee break before moving on to my second song (White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane.) This was a bit more challenging but he let me have a few goes at bits I was struggling with til I was happy with how they sounded. I am now in possession of two brilliant-sounding tracks and the whole thing only took a couple of hours! I was also offered tea, coffee, water and stuff while I was there and it was dead easy to chat to Gregor, I was expecting the experience to be really scary but it was great. Highly recommended if you're looking to get any recordings done, the dude knows his stuff!

The Broken Drum Studio is the dark horse of Edinburgh's music studios. If you are a musician or in…read morea band, this is the place to go. My favourite place! Not only is the drum-kit huge (and on an impressive rise) and more than ample for any ambitious percussionist, but the owner also offers drum tuition of a very high standard. (He also has extensive history of musicianship -- he helped me with my clarinet skills and corrected me with my rather lacking knowledge of music theory of which I am a grade 7, and was generally a very helpful guy about it too -- too often I encounter pretentious or arrogant musicians). The equipment is top notch too: plenty of amps with strong dynamic range; more than enough to accommodate the picky guitarist. Mics are good too -- plenty to patch up to instruments -- and for the vocalists too obviously. The owner will help make recordings too -- he seems to know a great deal about the industry and editing. I have dabbled in jazz and nu-metal -- two vastly different sounds and two different worlds of recording, but the software as well as the hardware being used at the studio is definitely my first choice. All of it is reasonably priced; and, having been in more one band, I can say he was really helpful with the times too -- my vocalist works a night shift and has pretty odd times to record, but, as I say, the owner was happy to accommodate. I am making this place sound like a dream; but I suppose it is -- any one who has been in a band has to deal with the crappy reality of getting the crew together and the general expense of it all -- already there is stress; and often that can hinder playing; but The Broken Drum Studio is certainly more chilled out than the other places I have been to. I think they do discounts as well -- sorry, I cannot remember that. But great all in all. Check it out.

The Audio Lounge has been through a few name changes in the last few years (Practice Pad, A-Side),…read moreand the only reason I'm not in quite as often as I used to be is that with my own recent move to the South Side, the band majority wasn't in the West of the city, and so a different studio became our base camp. Nevertheless, I've spent many a happy three hour block in this wee corner of Maryhill, and the studio is in a good spot, handy for buses and has lots of parking out front, something that studios struggle with! The guys running this place seem to be there round the clock, and are a terribly obliging bunch. They make an excellent cuppa too, and if you're lucky and the kitchen is up and running, you may get a roll and "squerr sausage". With plenty of equipment, a good range of rooms and recording facilities, should you want them, I would heartily recommend these guys for your rehearsing needs. Bonus info: due to their proximity to the BBC Comedy Unit, you may occasionally see Gary: Tank Commander's sister's car in the car park.

From the owner: Music Studio. Record, rehearse, equipment hire.read more

A great rehearsal space with great equipment. I've been in two bands and practised at Qten for a…read morefew years now. We recorded our EP there too. The guys at Qten are very helpful and friendly.

Great place. Friendly staff and top Notch equipment. Large…read morespacious rooms with well lit and an fairly nice acoustics with some really great mixing desks with a powerful EQing function.

I've started frequenting this rehearsal space for 3 hours every Tuesday night, and I do really like…read moreit! I might as well get my only complaint out of the way - the loos are a bit gross, although I did find one the other week a bit further into the studio which was a bit nicer. But considering the amount of people using the place on a daily basis, it definitely could be worse. The rooms have a good set-up, with everything you could possibly need to practice, even if you're a 7-piece like my band which includes keyboard, accordion and saxophone! The staff running the place are fab and always make sure you've got everything you need and if the temperature, etc. in the room is ok. As well as making sure everyone gets in and out of the rooms at the right time. Besides that, they just let you get on with it which is ideal. There are vending machines with your usual snacky foods and drinks (very helpful when you're rehearsing from 9pm-midnight and chocolate/some form of energy is needed) as well as a hot drink machine which I've yet to use, but given its popularity with the rest of my bandmates I'm gonna guess that it's at least decent! (Maybe you'll get an update when I finally try the coffee/hot chocolate!) I do believe it's about £30 for 3 hours which, for the quality of the premises and everything, seems really decent! (I don't know the exact figure, we pay £4 each a week and as mentioned, there are 7 of us so I'm guessing it's about that.) I hear from more experienced band-type musicians that it is the rehearsal space of choice (I used to play in a concert band and we got to rehearse in a school for free, so I don't really have any previously knowledge in this area) so yep, highly recommend it!!